2000
- The UMBC Observatory was first opened just before the Summer of 1999, funded as part of the UMBC Physics Building construction
- It was originally conceived by Professor-Emeritus Dr. Harvey Melfi, who was the director of the Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology (JCET), at the time
- After Dr. Melfi’s retirement, duty of care was passed to a core group of faculty at UMBC that continue to administer the UMBC Observatory Group and its projects
- Observatory dome and telescope constructed by Ash Dome and DFM Engineering. The telescope itself was meant for atmospheric physics, and so boasted an ability to look all the way to the horizon for maximum airmass observation
- Dr. Eric Tittley began as a post-doctoral researcher with Dr. Mark Henriksen and was appointed Telescope Operator
2001
- Thursday October 4, 2001: The first “First Thursday Public Night” was held. These were public stargazing nights, and First Thursdays with clouds were canceled
2008-2011
- Lab manager Andrew Vache maintained and operated the telescope. Andrew kept-up the tradition of weather-depending Public Viewing Nights
2013
- Apparition of newly discovered comet C\ISON
- Dr. Susan Hoban (retired 2020) and Roy Prouty (Director 2013-Present) met with Dr. Ian George (Director of the Joint Center for Astrophysics Director at the time) and received permission to use the telescope to participate in a world-wide observation campaign of C\ISON
- Team Ison (led by Dr. Hoban) refurbished pieces of the facility and were able to observe C\ISON, publishing results alongside another 40+ observers in “Results from the Worldwide Coma Morphology Campaign for Comet ISON (C/2012 S1)” published in Planetary and Space Science in 2015
- November 2013: First-Thursday Public Viewing Nights began again!
- In order to avoid weather complications, these nights were joined by a short lecture on astronomy
2015
- During the scheduling of the 2015-2016 Public Viewing Nights, someone remarked that they sounded a bit like a funeral viewing… so they were rebranded as Open Houses!
2019
- Conversations between UMBC Astronomy Club Presidents and the UMBC Observatory Director developed into a stronger partnership between the two organizations
- The Director of the UMBC Observatory would be the faculty advisor of the UMBC Astronomy Club
- The UMBC Observatory bolstered its mission to (1) research support, (2) outreach, and (3) supporting the UMBC Astronomy Club
- Director Roy Prouty and intern Jackson Ames run first set of Summer Enrichment Academies (SEAs); one focused on Cosmic Distances and one focused on the Fermi Paradox
2020
- February 6, 2020: Last Open House before COVID-19 Pandemic halted all operations
- SEAs are held again, but virtually
- Pandemic Podcast Series begins in the summer of 2020, airing August 31
2021
- Last Pandemic Podcast Episode airs May 7, 2021
- SEAs are held again, but virtually
- URA project on comet morphology is awarded to Onkar Rekhi
2022
- June 2022 Open Houses started up again
- October 2022 move to CMOS cameras
- Dr. Eileen Meyer and Observatory Director Roy Prouty form AstroPol Group created for the purpose of supporting polarimetric observations and modernizing the telescope
- The cleaning and repair of the light baffle, mirror doors, motors, control computer, auto-guiding system, instrument box
2024
- The Observatory Group is restructured into three teams led by student “Team Coordinators”: Engineering, Outreach, and Research
- Two URAs are awarded to student-led projects focused on better characterizing the facility. Olivia Chiarini on Limiting Magnitudes; Connor Kragh on Cepheid Variables.